The popular tough-guy winger still considers himself part of the community, which is a reason why he is working as a counselor this week at the Edge Summer Skills Camp at Twin Ponds East in Harrisburg.

"Any way I can give back to the Hershey community, I'm always going to do because of everything the community has done for me," Rechlicz said Monday. "It was a wonderful experience. I'm just excited for my next challenge, and that's with the Minnesota Wild. I'm just thrilled for a new opportunity and looking to move forward."

Rechlicz, 27, signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Wild on July 2. The two-way deal for 2014-15 calls for the 6-4, 220-pounder to make $600,000 at the NHL end, according to CapGeek.com, and $125,000 at the AHL end with the Iowa Wild.

"I started skating July 1. I've been on the ice for a long time now. I'm just working extremely hard on my overall game. I'm super-excited to be a part of the Minnesota Wild organization. I'm going to do whatever they ask me to do."

Rechlicz's 2013-14 season began with a memorable training camp with the Washington Capitals, where he fought Milan Lucic in an exhibition game against the Boston Bruins and scored a game-winning shootout goal on Ray Emery in an exhibition game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

But in the regular season, Rechlicz played just 25 games and recorded 87 penalty minutes for Hershey.

Rechlicz, a frequent healthy scratch by former Bears head coach Mike Haviland, played his fewest games since 2008-09 (17 games for the New York Islanders and four for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers).

"You just control what you control," Rechlicz said. "They expect you to be ready. I'm going to be 100-percent ready to rock and roll. This year, I'm just going to be as hungry as ever. By that, I mean I'm just going to be very, very motivated to have a good hockey season.

"Everybody's goal is to play in the NHL. That's obviously still my goal. I'm going to work as hard as I can this summer and just go forward with the right attitude."

Rechlicz has some familiarity with Des Moines, Iowa, where the Iowa Wild play. He played a couple games with the USHL's Des Moines Buccaneers in 2005-06, and former Bears teammate and summer workout partner Zach Miskovic played for Iowa last season.

"He said nothing but the best about the organization out there," Rechlicz said of Miskovic.

With his heavyweight prowess and infectious, positive team presence, Rechlicz became a fan favorite during two Hershey stints (2010-12, 2012-14).

"I'm never going to forget my time in Hershey," Rechlicz said. "I just can't thank everybody in Hershey enough for everything they've done for me.

"Later on in my career, we'll see what happens. It's a business. I really enjoyed my time here in Hershey and I wish nothing but the best for the Hershey organization. I just thank everybody from the bottom of my heart."

At the camp, directed by former Bears goalie Frederic Cassivi, Rechlicz could qualify as the biggest kid on the ice.

"He committed to coming back this week to do it," Cassivi said. "I think it's great that he does that. He seems to enjoy it and is really good at it."

Rechlicz said he loves working with kids.

"For me, it's a sense to give back to the community," Rechlicz said. "Hershey has always been so generous to me as a hockey player and as a person off the ice. It's important for me to come back and do something like this for the community and just give back for the kids, too. The kids are our future.

"We're trying to do something out here where the kids are going to have fun and they're also going to work hard and just work on their overall skill, just become better hockey players and better people off the ice, as well."